Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie Have Joined the Star Wars Cast

Our inner nerd is thrilled.

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After the initial Star Wars: Episode VII casting announcement raised concerns that there would barely be any women in the movie, we can breath a sigh of relief. Lucasfilm just announced two leading ladies — and not just any two: Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie will be joining the cast.

Both women are already fan favorites, naturally. We've all been wondering what Nyong'o's next move would be after she stole our hearts (and won an Oscar) for her performance as Patsy in 12 Years Slave. Christie, meanwhile, rules the Game of Thrones world as the female knight Brienne of Tarth and is also set to co-star in the next The Hunger Games installment, Mockingjay - Part 2, as Commander Lyme.

In a statement, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said, "I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII. It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."

The Star Wars film is shooting now and expected to be released Dec. 18, 2015.